Book Recommendations for Eleanor Shellstrop from The Good Place
The Good Place is taking its final bow – and we can’t help feeling a little sad thinking about it. This show has been such a big part of our lives, pushing us to be genuinely better people. And while we’ll always have those old episodes to look back on (thank you, Netflix) we’re really going to miss this show. Which is why we’re giving one last gift to the fans, those extended members of Team Cockroach who’ve been right there with us week after week: a list of books we think Eleanor Shellstrop would love.
The Girls by by Emma Cline
We know that Eleanor could be an anthropologist if she wanted to be. Instead, she’ll settle for watching and reading everything there is to know about cults and the people who join them – starting with a binge viewing of Wild, Wild Country, followed closely by a weekend reading session with The Girls by Emma Cline. This fictionalization of Charles Manson and his cult of willing young women is as captivating as it is terrifying, leaving us to wonder if we would join a cult too. We’re sure Eleanor thinks about that a lot. Michael’s a pretty charismatic leader, when you think about it.
Buy the book:
Amazon | Barnes and Noble | IndieBound
Where’d You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple
In Eleanor’s quest to become a better person, we know she’s going to want to get into some warmhearted fiction. And because going to the library and reading for fun and talking to people about books is all very new to her, she’s likely to pick something up off the staff recommendations table. Which is how she’ll find Where’d You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple, a novel about a woman who’s trying to find herself in a city she doesn’t want to live in. A novel that all of her friends (formerly “the nerds she’s been ignoring”) have been recommending since 2012. Better late than never because this novel is excellent.
Buy the book:
Amazon | Barnes and Noble | IndieBound
Bachelor Nation by Amy Kaufman
At her heart, Eleanor is still an Arizona trash bag. Which is why we’re recommending a deep dive into a trashy guilty pleasure: The Bachelor. In Bachelor Nation, Amy Kaufman gets a little too close to the truth of how this addicting and hyper-produced show is made. She interviews producers, past contestants, and celebrity fans to give a true behind-the-scenes look at the highs and lows of this ultra-dramatic show. And hey, bring on the drama. Eleanor can’t get enough.
Buy the book:
Amazon | Barnes and Noble | IndieBound
Siri, Who Am I? by Sam Tschida
Eleanor is an amateur detective first, a resident of The Good Place/The Bad Place/The Medium Place second. Look at how quickly she discovered that they were in The Bad Place! That wasn’t supposed to happen. And it definitely wasn’t supposed to happen hundreds of times over in the reboots. Which is why we know she’ll love Siri, Who Am I?, fascinating mystery about a woman trying to discover who she is after an awful episode of amnesia. It’s also romcom adjacent, because we know how much she loves being in love with Chidi, even when it’s agonizing. The book doesn’t come out until May, but what is time in a Jeremy Bearimy landscape? It’ll just give her something to look forward to!
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